2025 Excellence & Innovation Award Winners

The ACSN Excellence & Innovation awards recognize achievements in the areas of career development programming, employer relations, and marketing and communications. They may encompass communications, programming, and other engagement by ACSN members. Nominees are judged on their innovation, creativity, and impact on their constituents. Thank you to everyone who nominated a colleague or self-nominated this year. We had very strong submissions and tough decisions to make! 

Employer Engagement Award: awarded to Cheryl Bonner from Penn State Alumni Association for the Defense & Intelligence Career Summit. 

The Defense and Intelligence Career Summit was a collaborative effort across Penn State, involving alumni relations staff, faculty, employer representatives and representatives from the alumni association. The team, chosen for their expertise in targeted industries, project management, and career needs, aimed to support the hiring of alumni in this industry. The result was a unique format that engaged mid-level job seekers cost-effectively, combining networking and career fair elements. After ten months of planning, the event connected 154 alumni with 17 companies and industry leaders. Leading this diverse team was a professional challenge that provided valuable insights into recruiting in this market.

Rising Star Award: awarded to Meaghan Murphy-Rennie from Mount Holyoke College Career Development Center. 

Meaghan’s nomination read: Meaghan is in the top 3% of hardest working and most driven colleagues I have worked with over my 17+ year career. Coming into Career Development from Study Abroad, Meaghan quickly adapted to her role as the liaison between Career and Alum, while also balancing a full caseload of students. She is always willing to step in and go above and beyond. Meaghan directly communicates with our alums and coordinates all efforts for: programming and career panels on-campus, immersion trips off-campus, and she also leads 2 key programs that engage a high quantity of alums through a variety of mediums.

Marketing & Communication Award: awarded to Maura Sweeney from College of the Holy Cross for her Thrive in 2025 Email Series. 

The Thrive in 2025 email program ran as a series of email communications in January 2025. Participants signed up to receive one email every Friday in January and learn five evidence-based strategies to help them improve their wellbeing, happiness, and thrive in today’s constantly changing world. Maura synthesized the strategies and explained them in the context of the shared Holy Cross education. Maura included reflection questions and action items at the end of each email to help participants integrate the strategies into their own lives. 701 alumni signed up to participate in the email series, representing ~2% of our alumni population.

Programming Award: In 2025 ACSN is recognizing two different programs. First, Career Launchpad by Susan Gordon and Crystal Parker from Duke University. 

Duke’s Career Launchpad reimagined early alumni career support with a dynamic, peer-driven model. Targeting the undergraduate classes of 2021–2024, a series of free virtual workshops combined alumni-led discussions and career reflection exercises to strengthen career clarity and foster Duke connections. The workshops included a peer-led presentation of Duke's key alumni career resources and group discussions (facilitated by more senior alumni volunteers) of ways to apply the resources in their current career stage. 

Seventy participants gained confidence and skills, while 16 alumni volunteers, including four first time volunteers, led breakout discussions and built cross-generational relationships. 

Career Launchpad not only filled a critical resource gap, but also sparked lasting momentum: participants were offered a follow-up CliftonStrengths coaching session,  blending personal development with network expansion to drive long-term alumni success and loyalty.

Second Programming Award: Going Pro - Life After College by John Borgese from New Jersey Institute of Technology.  

This program was designed to connect NJIT student/athletes to organizations that NJIT alumni hold ownership, senior level or business unit leader roles within them. The program introduced the company, their hiring methodologies and open roles for the purpose of permanent hires or internships.  NJIT has held three events to date, attracted numerous alumni and resulted in large numbers of student/athletes obtaining internships and permanent jobs.

2025 Runners Up: Job Club by Caroline Francis and Amy Gamblin from University of Kentucky.

In response to the 2009-2012 “Great Recession”, the University of Kentucky’s Alumni Career Services (ACS) created Job Club (www.ukalumni.net/jobclub ) as a free program to help those impacted by job loss. Since 2013, Job Club has provided a supportive environment for job seekers, offering networking opportunities, resume building, and interview preparation. With over 10,000 participants from 35 states and several countries, Job Club has significantly improved employment outcomes for individuals in transition. The program’s collaborative approach with community partners and its transition to virtual meetings during COVID have made it a model for innovative career support.

Congratulations to this year’s award recipients. We look forward to seeing your submissions for next year!